Hospital garment

ABSTRACT

A hospital gown with a simplified tying arrangement and capable of being work with either side out and tied easily under either condition. A single tape on one side extends through an opening or loop on the other side and is tied on itself to hold the edges closed. There may also be another tape on the other edge to engage an opening or loop on the first edge so the gown can be worn with either side out, and there may be such tapes and openings or loops at both the neck and waist.

Appl. No.: 138,499

[52] U.S. Cl ..2/ll4 [51] Int. Cl. ..A4lb 9/00 [58] Field of Search ..2/1l4, 83

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,397,406 8/1968 Leach ..2/1 14 2,707,282 5/1955 Paterson ....2/1 14 2,673,347 3/1954 Weiss ..2/] l4 United States atent 1 1 3,729,747 Belkin [451 May I, 1973 HOSPITAL GARMENT 3,470,568 10/1969 Belkin ..2/1 14 [76] Inventor: Nathan L. Belkin, 4 Shepard Road,

Primary Exammer-Patnck D. Lawson Hartfmd 061 10 Attorney-Dona.ld P. Gillette [22] Filed: Apr. 29, 1971 57] ABSTRACT A hospital gown with a simplified tying arrangement and capable of being work with either side out and tied easily under either condition. A single tape on one side extends through an opening or loop on the other side and is tied on itself to hold the edges closed. There may also be another tape on the other edge to engage an opening or loop on the first edge so the gown can be worn with either side out, and there may be such tapes and openings or loops at both the neck and waist.

9 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures Patented May 1, 1973 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 461 4411 L. Ze/k/fl Patented May 1, 1973 3,729,141

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. /1/a2%14 L ze// f HOSPITAL GARMENT FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to the field of gowns worn in hospitals and the like by medical personnel and patients.

BACKGROUND OF TI-IE INVENTION It is essential to sterilize gowns worn by surgeons in hospital operating rooms before use in order to prevent the spread of disease by the transmission of micro-organisms from one person to another. The sterilization process includes laundering the garments, and in a busy hospital, the amount of laundry of this type on any given day is extremely large. When the garments are taken off to be laundered, and especially in the case of gowns removed by surgeons following an operation, they are likely to be turned inside out, which means that someone in the laundry must examine each one of them to see that it is in an appropriate state for later use. The time consumed in turning these garments right side out adds up to a substantial amount because of the large numbers involved.

Another source of expense connected with hospital gowns is the time required to repair them. The tapes frequently are ripped off and must be sewn back on. In the usual case there are two tapes at the neck and two more at the waist, and all of them must be in place when the gown is to be used. Sometimes these tapes are ripped off while the gown is in use and at other times they become tangled in the laundry and are pulled off. The more such tapes there are, the more likely they are to get tangled. Patients gowns are subjected to much stress as the patients move about in bed, and many of the tapes are ripped off in this way.

In the light of these considerations, it is one of the primary objects of this invention to reduce the cost of upkeep of hospital gowns. A more specific object is to provide a hospital gown that is simpler and yet stronger without being substantially more costly, and with markedly less upkeep. Further objects will be apparent from the following specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION This invention comprises a hospital garment that is simplified by having its tape or tapes arranged to be tied from only one edge. In addition, the tape or tapes may be inserted through holes in the other edge of the garment or though loops attached to the other edge of the garment. More specifically, one tape may extend from one end of the neckband and be threaded through a hole similar to a buttonhole near the opposite edge of the garment. Then the tape may be tied in a half bow knot, which will provide a sufficiently large mass of tape to prevent its being pulled back through the hole. At the same time, this is only half as large as an ordinary bow knot and therefore is more comfortable for a patient to lie on. A similar arrangement may be provided at the waist. Since the tape extends from one edge of the gown and the hole extends through the gown near the other edge, it is obvious that the gown can be worn with either side out and that it has no side that can be referred to as the wrong side".

The foregoing gown is particularly suited to use by patients. Inthe case of surgical gowns such as those worn by doctors and nurses in operating rooms, the size of the knot is not important. Ease of tying the knot may be more significant. For this reason, a separate loop may be sewn to one surface of the neckband near one end thereof to be held by a tape that'is sewn to the other end of the neckband and threaded through the loop and tied on itself in a knot that can easily be tied and loosened. In order to make the garment reversible, a second loop may be sewn on the reverse side of the neckband at the same point as the first loop. The only disadvantage in so arranging the loops, is that, when the gown is worn with one side out, the tape will be on the left, and when it is worn with the other side out, the tape will be on the right. To avoid this disadvantage, a second tape may be sewn to the other end of the neckband and the second loop attached, not at the same location as the first loop, but at a corresponding position'near the other end of the neckband and on the opposite surface from the first loop.

The waistband tape on a surgical gown may be arranged in a different manner than in a gown for patients. Instead of attaching the tape directly to the edge, or nearly so, it may be attached at a more remote point, for example, toward the front of the gown. An enclosed channel is formed in the gown to hold the tape. The tape still extends from the edge of the gown or from a point in the channel near the edge, and it is preferable to provide a loop, or two loops, separately sewn to the gown near the other edge and in line with the tape. As in the case of the tying arrangement at the neckband, two tapes may be provided at the waistband, one extending from each end of the channel, to be tied to two separate loops, one on one surface of the gown and the other on the other surface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a back elevational view of a surgical gown with ties arranged according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the gown in FIG. 1 illustrating the manner of tying the neckband tape;

FIG. 3 shows a modified form of tying arrangement for the gown of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a patients gown having a tie arrangement according to the invention; and

FIG. 5 shows the tape of the gown shown in FIG. 4 tied in a half bow knot.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The surgical gown in FIG. 1 comprises a main body portion I1 made up of a front panel 12 and left and right back panels I3 and 14. The back panels are sewn to the front panel by seams of the usual sort along the sides of the garment. The back panels have free edges 16 and 17 that face each other and, when the gown is being worn, these edges preferably overlap. Two sleeves l8 and 19 are set into the sides of the gown and are provided with knitted cuffs 21 and 22. v

The gown 11 has a neckband 23 with a tape 24 sewn to one end 27. In order to provide a strong attachment between the neckband and the tape, the latter is bar tacked to the neckband. At the other end 28 of the neckband, and on the outer surface thereof, is a separate loop 29, which is also bar tacked to the neckband. The tie arrangement at the waist includes a channel 31 formed byv folding and stitching the central part of the gown 11. Within the channel is a tape 32, which is preferably attached at some point within the channel, such as around on the front side of the gown. The channel is continued all the way around the gown, and another loop 33 is sewn on the outer surface at the other end of the channel, although not at the tip thereof. The loop is set a little way back from the extreme tip end of the channel 31 so that when the tape 32 is threaded through it and tied, the edge 17 will overlap the edge 16. The same terminology is also true of the neckband 23. The loop 29 is referred to as being at the end 28 of the neckband, but it is actually displaced from the extreme tip a little way along the neckband 23 toward the end to which the tape 24 is sewn.

FIG. 2 shows the end 26 of the neckband 23 overlapping the end 28. The tape 24 is threaded through the loop 29 and tied in a half bow knot. Although easy to tie and easy to release, such a knot will hold against substantial tension.

In order to make the gown reversible, a second loop 34 is sewn to the opposite surface of the neckband 23, as shown in FIG; 3. Also shown is a second tape 35 that extends from the end 28 and can be tied to the loop 34 when the gown is reversed, just as the tape 24 is tied to the loop 29 in FIG. 3.

FIG. 4 shows a gown 37 which is especially adapted for use by patients. This gown includes a front panel 38 and left and right back panels 39 and 41, respectively. A left sleeve 42 and a right sleeve 43 are sewn to the body portion of the gown 37 by seams 44 and 46. In order to permit the gown to be used with either side out it is preferable for the seams 44 and 46 to be flat-felled seams or the like, such as in the case of the seams in the gown 11 in FIG. 1.

The gown 37 has a neckband 47 bound-by a tape 48 that extends beyond one end 49 of the neckband. At, or near, the other end 51 of the neckband 47 is a slit 52 similar to an ordinary button hole. Extending downwardly from the end 49 of the neckband is an edge 53 of the garment 37 and extending downwardly from the end 51 is another edge 54. Below the neckband 47 is a'second tape 56 sewn to the panel 41 adjacent the edge 53 thereof. Directly opposite the tape 56 is a second slit S7 in the panel 39 near the edge 54.

When the gown 37 is put on, the tapes 48 and 56 are threaded through their respective slits 52 and 57 to draw the edges 53 and 54 together. Preferably, because of the fact that the slits 52 and 57 are spaced slightly from the edge 54, the edge 54 overlaps the edge53 slightly. The'neckband 47, and the section of the gown in which the tape 56 is attached, may be referred to as closure portions of the gown, the ends of which. are tied together to form a loop when the tapes 48 and 56 are threaded through the respective slits 52 and 57. In FIG. the manner of tying the tape 56 is shown. As may be seen, the tape is threaded through the slit 57 and looped about itself in such a way as to form a half bow knot 58 which has a free end 59 and a loop 61. For illustrative purposes there is a short section of the tape 56 shown between the knot 58 and the slit 57, but in actual practice it is desirable to place the knot as close to the slit as possible in order to hold the edges 53 and 54 overlapped. By using a half bow knot all that need to be clone in order to untie the gown is to pull the free end 59 of the tape.

The gown 37, like the gown 11 in FIG. 1, can be removed without regard to whether it is turned inside out or not since there is in fact no side that is considered a wrong side. Thus it is not necessary to turn the gown when it is laundered. In addition, the two tapes 48 and 56 are only half as likely to be ripped off as were the four tapes which are arranged on each side of the backopening of prior gowns. Moreover, since the tapes of prior gowns extended from the edges that corresponded to the edges 53 and 54 it was impossible to draw the edges together to have them overlap, and therefore, there was always some gap between these edges, unlike the gown 37.

What is claimed is:

l. A gown comprising:

A. A first surface;

B. A second surface, said gown beingcapable' of 1 being worn with either of said surfaces as the outside surface;

C. A closure portion comprising:

1. a first end having a tip, and

2. a second end having a tip; and

D. Means to draw said ends toward each other to form a closed loop, said means comprising:

1. a tape extending from said first end andequally accessible no matter which of said first and second surfaces is the outside surface, and

2. open means adjacent said second end to receive said tape therethrough, said open means also being equally accessible no matter which of said first and second surfaces is the outside surface, whereby said tape can be tied to keep said loop closed.

2. The gown of claim 1 in which said means adjacent said second end is an opening through a neck portion and adjacent said tip of said second end.

3. The gown of claim 1 in which said means adjacent said second end is a second loop attached to said first surface of said closure portion in a region close to said tip of said second end but spaced therefrom toward said first end, wherebythe tip of said first end overlaps the tip of said second end in forming said first-named loop.

4. The gown of claim 3 comprising, in addition, a third loop attached to said first surface substantially opposite said second loop, whereby one of said second and third loops faces outwardly no matter which of said first and second surfaces of said gown faces outwardly.

5. The gown of claim 3 comprising, in addition:

A. A second tape attached to said second end; and

B. A third loop attached to said second surface of said neck portion near said first end but spaced from the tip thereof toward said second end.

6. The gown of claim 4 in which said closure portion comprises a neckband of said gown and said tape is attached to said first end.

7. The gown of claim 1 in which said closure portion comprises a waistband of said gown, and said tape is attached to said waistband at a point thereon remote from the tip of said first end and toward said second end.

8. The gown of claim 1 in which said closure portion comprises a neckband of said gown and said tape is attached to said first end, and said gown comprises, in addition:

A. First and second panels extending from said neckband and comprising first and second edges, respectively, extending from said first and second ends and facing each other; and

B. Means to hold said edges overlapped, said means comprising:

1. a second tape attached to said first edge, and

2. open means spaced from said second edge opposite said second tape to receive said second tape therethrough, whereby said second tape can be tied to keep said edges overlapped.

9. The gown of claim 1 in which said closure portion comprises a neckband of said gown and said tape is at- 2. a second tape attached to said waistband at a region thereof remote from said first edge toward said second edge, and 3. a separate loop attached to said first surface of said gown spaced from said second edge and in line with said second tape. 

1. A gown comprising: A. A first surface; B. A second surface, said gown being capable of being worn with either of said surfaces as the outside surface; C. A closure portion comprising:
 1. a first end having a tip, and
 2. a second end having a tip; and D. Means to draw said ends toward each other to form a closed loop, said means comprising:
 1. a tape extending from said first end and equally accessible no matter which of said first and second surfaces is the outside surface, and
 2. Open means adjacent said second end to receive said tape therethrough, said open means also being equally accessible no matter which of said first and second surfaces is the outside surface, whereby said tape can be tied to keep said loop closed.
 2. a second end having a tip; and D. Means to draw said ends toward each other to form a closed loop, said means comprising:
 2. Open means adjacent said second end to receive said tape therethrough, said open means also being equally accessible no matter which of said first and second surfaces is the outside surface, whereby said tape can be tied to keep said loop closed.
 2. The gown of claim 1 in which said means adjacent said second end is an opening through a neck portion and adjacent said tip of said second end.
 2. a second tape attached to said waistband at a region thereof remote from said first edge toward said second edge, and
 2. open means spaced from said second edge opposite said second tape to receive said second tape therethrough, whereby said second tape can be tied to keep said edges overlapped.
 3. a separate loop attached to said first surface of said gown spaced from said second edge and in line with said second tape.
 3. The gown of claim 1 in which said means adjacent said second end is a second loop attached to said first surface of said closure portion in a region close to said tip of said second end but spaced therefrom toward said first end, whereby the tip of said first end overlaps the tip of said second end in forming said first-named loop.
 4. The gown of claim 3 comprising, in addition, a third loop attached to said first surface substantially opposite said second loop, whereby one of said second and third loops faces outwardly no matter which of said first and second surfaces of said gown faces outwardly.
 5. The gown of claim 3 comprising, in addition: A. A second tape attached to said second end; and B. A third loop attached to said second surface of said neck portion near said first end but spaced from the tip thereof toward said second end.
 6. The gown of claim 4 in which said closure portion comprises a neckband of said gown and said tape is attached to said first end.
 7. The gown of claim 1 in which said closure portion comprises a waistband of said gown, and said tape is attached to said waistband at a point thereon remote from the tip of said first end and toward said second end.
 8. The gown of claim 1 in which said closure portion comprises a neckband of said gown and said tape is attached to said first end, and said gown comprises, in addition: A. First and second panels extending from said neckband and comprising first and second edges, respectively, extending from said first and second ends and facing each other; and B. Means to hold said edges overlapped, said means comprising:
 9. The gown of claim 1 in which said closure portion comprises a neckband of said gown and said tape is attached to said first end, and said gown comprises, in addition: A. First and second panels extending from said neckband and comprising first and second edges, respectively, facing each other; and B. Means to hold said edges overlapped, said means comprising: 